title: Polymorphisms of interferon gamma gene and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in korean patients with chronic hepatitis B viral infection.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Increasing evidence supports the contribution of the pro-/anti-inflammatory cytokine balance and genetic factors to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here, we investigated whether genetic interferon gamma polymorphisms were associated with HCC in Korean patients with chronic hepatitis B.
  
  
  METHODS
  We genotyped a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP, rs2430561, +874A/T) and a microsatellite (rs3138557, (CA)n repeat), located in the first intron of the interferon gamma gene, by direct sequencing and the gene scan method. A population-based case-control study of HCC was conducted and included 170 patients with chronic hepatitis and HCC, and 171 with chronic hepatitis B patients without hepatocellular carcinoma in a Korean population.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Genotype and allele distributions of the interferon gamma gene SNP were associated with HCC. The frequencies of the AA genotype and the A allele were significantly increased in hepatocellular carcinoma subjects (p<0.05). Combined analysis using the genotype of rs2430561 and the number of microsatellites revealed that the frequencies of AT-CA12 and TT-CA12 increased significantly in hepatocellular carcinoma subjects (p<0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that the interferon gamma gene may be a susceptibility gene and a risk factor for HCC in the Korean population.
authors.forename: Hak-Jae
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Joo-Ho
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Hyun Phi
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Jung Won
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Jeon
authors.forename: Jae Jun
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Jae Myung
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Cha
authors.forename: Kwang Ro
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Joo
authors.forename: Joung Il
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005838:Genotype; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000150:complications / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000235:genetics*; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D012306:Risk
chemical_list: D007371:Interferon-gamma